15 October 2015 – Marking the International Day of Rural Women, the United Nations today affirmed the role of women as significant and crucial for the progress of rural households, local and national economies.

This reflection paper is a contribution by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and examines the links between disaster risk reduction and development in the context of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The paper gives perspectives on how disaster risk reduction and resilience is reflected in the outcome document and outlines what disaster risk reduction means for the SDGs.

At least four million people in the Pacific face hunger, water shortages and risk of disease this year and next due to droughts and erratic rains, influenced by climate change and the likely development of a ‘super El Niño’.

The Annual Report is prepared by the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)--collectively known as the World Bank--in accordance with the by-laws of the two institutions. The President of the IBRD and IDA and the Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors submits the Report, together with the accompanying administrative budgets and audited financial statements, to the Board of Governors.

After the MDGs, renewed commitment and financing required to spur Africa’s development

New York, 28 September, 2015 -- Having made encouraging progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), African countries have the opportunity to use the newly launched Sustainable Development Goals to tackle remaining challenges and achieve a development breakthrough, according to a report released here today.

Underscoring the importance of partnerships for development, world leaders today deliberated on the collective efforts and resources necessary to achieve the goals set out in the newly adopted 2030 Agenda, as the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit continued at the General Assembly.

The Syria Crisis is the largest political, humanitarian and development challenge of our time.

It has taken enormous casualties, caused widespread destruction, forced massive displacement, rolled back development progress and threatened generations across Syria and neighbouring countries. It has also challenged the international community to think – and act – differently in our collective response.

The Council of Ministers declared an institutional red alert on 12 January 2015 after a period of heavy rainfall caused severe flooding across central and northern Mozambique. According to the National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) 373,026 people were affected in Zambézia, Nampula, Niassa, Cabo Delgado and Manica provinces. 14,361 houses were partially damaged, while 21,780 were completely destroyed. Furthermore, the floods caused extensive damage to public buildings and infrastructure, loss of crops and livestock.

The sector of housing and human settlements was affected the most. The total effects (damages and losses) are valued at NPR 350,379 million, with the total damages amounting to NPR 303,631 million and the total losses estimated at NPR 46,748 million.

Oxfam helped almost a third more people caught up in humanitarian disasters in 2014-15 as it responded to an unprecedented number of emergencies including the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa and ongoing conflicts in Syria and South Sudan.

The organisation supported 8.1 million people across 39 humanitarian disasters over the year, providing clean water, sanitation and food, compared to 6.1 million across 24 emergencies in 2013-14.

Water is essential to human development and prosperity, but many people still live without reliable access to it. As the number of people in the world increases, water scarcity is forecast to worsen. The Safeguarding the World’s Water report documents USAID’s water sector activities that address key global challenges during fiscal year 2014. The report also shares progress made during the first year of implementing its Water and Development Strategy.